Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-14
Literary Notes.

brlllon. or the Funny Experience Of Raw Recruit
C'war Papers" ~ IA Century Magazine. From the
| Standpoint of Private Soldier who was Afraid Of
bis shadow, and who Didn't Want 10 Fight Unless
he had tO.l By the author OF Peck's Fun. Peck's
Sunshine, Peck's Bad Boy aud His Pa Pecks Boss
Book and Lofts % such stuff Ilustta with six
teen full.pagc ilustraionsb by True Williams Price
cloth, 81 paper covers soc. Bslforl Clarke 4 Co..
Publishers, Chicago and New York.
The fountain of Mr.. Peck's humor
seems to be what the Spring poets
would call perennial fountain. As one
of the greatest of living poets says:
Man may come and man may GO,
Bat Pcck's fun goes ON forever
There are no bonds to the range of
his genuine wit, and no limit to its sup
ply. Each book Mr.. Peck has present
ed to the public is full of unadulterated
fun, fun as brilliant and as harmless as
summer lightning. And best of all, fun
that is fun on the face of ii, and does
not require college professor to bring
dictionary to explain it. Not long
ago bright little Sunday school boy
was asked by his teacher:
"WhO is the greatest benefactor of
the age?"
"George w. Peck" was the prompt
reply.
anu tilc IcdSDl TIE utdE CIltlu gave
for his opinion was that Mr. Peck had
written "The Bad Boy and His Pa"
And no wonder, for Mr.. Peck has given
the boys of America more to laugh at
than any author who ever wrote.
But versatile and exhaustless as Mr..
Peck's wit has proved itself to be in
former books, he has struck new vein
in this latest work. We have had a
good deal ofthe pomp and circumstance
of glorious war Of late; Mr.. Peck pre-
sents us with its humorous side. Under
the guise of a "Raw Recruit" Mr.. Peck
gives many of his own personal eX-
periences of the war, and many q vet
eran who reads these pages will be re-
minded of scenes in which he probably
had some part.
This Raw Recruit" who, as Mr..
Peck says, was too "scared to fight and
too frightened to rum" tells his story of
the war in words that not only bring
laughter to all faces, but tears to all
eyes. Here and there the "Raw Re-
cruitn tells of some sad scene that stirs
| the deepest currents Decomposition, and
on the next page he tells some merry
tale that wakes the loudest laughter
1t is perhaps a story of some desperate
encounter or of making funeral ora
ton under the most peculiar circum-
stances; or of being wounded i'm the can
teen, or by q locomotive; or of building
bridge which was an excellent bridge,
only unfortunately it was over the
wrong stream; or of his experiences of
| the tender mercies of q "Rebel Angepr
who guarded his cot through series of
hospital sorrows, and brought him back
to health and happiness and peace
Through his various war experiences
the "Raw Recruit" was brought into
almost daily contact with the Chap
lain, and the way the confidence and
trust of the poor Recruit is abused by
that Chaplain, and the way that "Raw
Recruit" gets back at the Chaplain is
| worth three times the money YOU have
to pay for the book. There are two
chapters in the book that are worth
special commendation, chapters XIII
and XIV; in the former of these chap
ters the "Raw Recruit" is detailed to
search female smuggler. The story
of that escaEade has no equal in any
modern book for delicate humor and
pathos. In the following chapter the
story of the experience of soldier who
tries to search the "Raw Recruit" who
is attired for the nonce as female
smuggler, is told as no man on earth
but George w. Peck could tell it. And
the man who does not laugh at these
chapters will die of dyspepsia. The
illustrations of this book indicate that
Mr.. Peck has been most happy in the
selection of his artist. Mr.. Williams,
whose fame is as wide as the continent,
has entered most thoroughly into the
authors varying moods. Every illus
tration is true as life to the authors
humor. The pictures of the Chaplain
up tree, of the Raw Recruit mounting
his Arab steed, and of the way they
went into camp, are very fine. Every
picture of the series is eminently illus
trative Of the text. Every veteran who
went to the war will want to read this
book, and those who didn't go will want
to read it to know how the veterans
fought and how bravely they kept up
their courage when days were dark and
cheerless.